Restaurants

The bustling long narrow dining room of this Upper Street joint is often packed. Judging from our experience, the attraction has more to do with the location than the food. Isarn serves the usual Thai dishes, with a strong emphasis on the sweeter aspect of the cuisine. Starters sounded appealing. Betel nut leaves added a slightly bitter taste to shreds of overly sweet crispy duck and spring onion, but the pomelo accompanying the meat was too weak to stand up to the other strong flavours. Deep-fried soft-shell crab was greasy, though the dish was much enhanced by a refreshing mango salsa. To follow, a beef stir-fry with bamboo shoots and holy basil was a dull assembly, while mussels in yellow bean curry was too sweet a dish for our taste. Although Isarn’s launch in 2005 garnered positive reviews, our subsequent visits have been disappointing more often than not.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009